A Day Of Thanks
by Copperpelt
Summary: It was just a change of pace. Instead of having an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner at Murucho's like in the years passed, Dan volunteered to have it at his house. There was supposed to be a bit of everything; food, laughter, and all of the Brawlers gathered together after months of separation, but it didn't exactly turn out as originally planned. ONE-SHOT! R&R! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


_No One_

Brown leaves snapped off from tree limbs, fluttering down to the ground below. People walked along the sidewalks, chatting idly as they finished running their errands for the very special day; Thanksgiving. The holiday was the embodiment of Fall, just as Christmas was the same for Winter.

Cool and crisp air made the weather pleasant; it was perfect in every aspect. One person in particular was eager for the big meal that would take place. It was none other than Dan Kuso. He walked into the grocery store with his mother, holding the yellow notepad in his hands and calling out what was written on the list.

Months ago, it had been decided that instead of holding a Thanksgiving dinner for the Brawlers at Murucho's, it would be held at Dan's. Everyone had put aside their plans to go over to the brunette's house to eat that evening. Odds were, this dinner would be a bit more intimate than anything that had been held at Murucho's massive mansion; at least nobody would have to shout across the room to get somebody to pass them the salt or pepper.

The brunette leaned against the shopping cart as his mother scanned over the remainder of the turkeys that were left in the grocery store's freezer section. Dan reached for his pen and crossed 'turkey' off of their shopping list.

After another hour of searching for the last few items on the list, Dan and his mother went through the long check-out line and headed home to start the dinner preparations. Much to their surprise, there was another car parked in the driveway.

"I wonder who this is," he mother said while pulling in next to the mystery car. When they got out of the car, Dan checked in the window of the car, trying to find anything that might let him know whose vehicle it was. There were no calling-cards inside, leaving the brunette puzzled.

They hadn't been expecting anyone until later in the evening. Maybe it was an unexpected family member Dan hadn't seen since his younger years? "Dan, come help me with the groceries," his mother called out to him from the trunk of their car. "Alright!" he told her and left the unknown car behind.

Dan had his arms lined with plastic grocery bags, which were starting to cut into his arm and become uncomfortable. To hurry and get the heavy bags off of his person, he picked up his pace to get into his house as soon as possible. His mother, realizing what he was doing, told him, "Be careful not to trip, Dan."

She knew how much of a klutz her son could be from time to time, especially if he was in a rush to do something. He called back to her, "I'm not going to trip!" His mother rolled her eyes and shook her head at her son's ignorance. Dan cleared the door of his house and to much of his relief, sat the grocery bags down onto the floor.

He rubbed his sore arms and smiled. "That's better," he said with a smile. "Well, it's about time you got back," a shrill voice said from behind him. Dan turned around and saw Runo and Julie sitting at the kitchen table, arms crossed over their chests and sarcastic grins on their faces.

"Hey, guys!" Dan said with surprise. He hadn't been expecting their arrival till later on in the day, so this had caught him off guard. Julie clapped her hands together and said cheerfully, "Runo and I figured that your mom would like some help preparing tonight's dinner."

Just as that was said, Dan's mom walked in and heard what the silver-haired girl had to say. "That would be greatly appreciated, girls. Thanks," she said while adding the groceries she had carried in to the pile Dan had created on the floor.

Dan turned and looked to Runo and said, "That doesn't look like your car out there. My mom and I had no idea who that was." She smiled and said casually, "I had to borrow my dad's car for today." Dan left it that now that he had an explanation to the unknown vehicle.

Within a few minutes, the entire Kuso household was filled with enticing scents and aromas as rolls and other foods were cooked. Dan was sitting down at the kitchen table and watched as the two girls and his mom cooked the evening's meal. They cracked jokes occasionally, but mainly worked like a well-oiled machine.

It probably would have taken his mother forever to get everything prepared if she didn't have Runo and Julie's help. It wasn't like Dan didn't want to be in there and help, he did, but he wasn't any good in a kitchen, so he decided it would be best for him to stay out of their way. Outside, Dan heard the familiar sound of his dad's car pull up into the driveway.

His father had to work a bit this morning, along with picking up his Thanksgiving bonus check that he forgot at the office yesterday. He opened the door, and immediately stuck his nose up in the air. "It smells great in here," he crooned. It was clear to see where Dan got his appetite and love for food.

As time passed, more and more dishes were coming together, signaling that the time for the feast was nearing. Dan's stomach was growling with anticipation; this had to be his absolute favorite holiday. The only one that rivaled this, was Halloween, but it wasn't his favorite due to the fact that he didn't get out of school for that.

Julie, who was standing over a bowl and stirring some kind of pie mix, made the point of saying, "If only Alice was here to help us. Then, it would be like the old times back at the café." Runo gave a nod of agreement while dicing up a mixed variety of vegetables.

Another hour passed, and dishes were starting to grace the Kuso family table. Casseroles and desserts were piling up, and Dan was starting to wonder how much his mother was planning on cooking for the occasion. Dan didn't really care if there were leftovers; he'd eat those the next day.

Another car engine rolled up to the house outside, which was followed shortly after by a light knocking. Dan got up from the kitchen table and opened the door, finding a familiar short blonde standing on his doorstep. "Am I too early?" Murucho asked, checking his watch and looking a bit worried that he may have been imposing.

Dan smiled and said, "Nah. You're alright." Murucho let out a sigh of relief and Dan allowed him inside. It was then that the brunette realized that the short blonde was wearing a blue tux. "Uh, Murucho? I told you it was casual. You didn't have to dress up," Dan said awkwardly.

He didn't want this to be some big and formal event; he just wanted to spend time with his friends. Murucho looked down at what he was wearing and laughed nervously. "Oh, this? I had to stop by my grandparents before coming over here, and my parents wanted me to dress up for them."

Dan looked the other way a nodded, trying to hide his sympathy for the short blonde; he was happy that his grandparents didn't want him wearing some monkey suit. The brunette returned back to the kitchen table and patted the seat next to him. "Why don't ya take a seat. Murucho?" he asked.

Murucho took the seat next to Dan and two conversed to pass the time. While the girls and his mom were still in the kitchen and distracted, Dan leaned over and told Murucho in a hushed voice, "Thank God you showed up when you did. I thought I was going to die from boredom."

Murucho laughed and replied with, "Then I guess my timing was well-planned." Dan nodded in agreement with Murucho's statement. The brunette glanced up at the clock on the wall, realizing that it was nearing the time that he had told everyone to show up.

Now, he was awaiting for Shun and Alice to show up. Dan figured that Alice would show up right on time, but Shun was a bit unpredictable; the ninja had a bit of a knack for showing up late. Sure enough, the orange-haired Russian arrived a few minutes before the set time.

She had brought with her some traditional Russian dish, but she wouldn't reveal what was in it. "It's a family secret," she said with a wink. This made Dan a bit uneasy, fearing that there might be something strange in the dish.

Alice was over with Julie and Runo, the three of them hugging and saying how glad they were to see each other after such a long time. It was when some of the last dishes were being placed on the table did Shun show up. Dan cut him a look and said sarcastically, "Fashionably late as always."

Shun just smirked and went over to greet the others. Dan rolled his eyes when he realized that his best friend was spending a bit more time catching up with Alice than with anyone else. Mrs. Kuso told Runo and Julie that she could handle the last of the preparations, and the two girls retreated to the kitchen table with the rest of the group.

They quickly dusted the flour off of their clothes to the best extent before they sat down. Idle chat rose from the table as they waited for the last dish to come out of the oven; the turkey. Dan's father, as if knowing that the meal was almost done, emerged from somewhere in the back and sat down at the table as well.

Finally, they heard the sound of the oven door open and shut, then saw Mrs. Kuso walking towards the kitchen table, where she sat the turkey down in the middle of all the other dishes. Dan's eyes grew wide at the sight of the bird, which he knew meant that it was finally time to eat.

Plates and dishes were passed around so everyone could get a helping of what they wanted. Things grew somewhat silent except from the sounds of silverware clattering on the plates, and the sound of Shun and Alice talking at the end of the table.

Dan glanced up from his plate and narrowed his eyes at the two. Then, a plan formed in his mind. He leaned over to Murucho and whispered, "Hey, watch this." Murucho raised a brow and grew somewhat nervous as to what Dan was about to do. The brunette picked up an English pea from his plate and tossed it at the raven-haired ninja.

It bounced off of Shun and landed on the floor. Shun, who had cut off mid-sentence, sat there and shook his head then continued his conversation with Alice. Dan was reaching for another pea, and Murucho shot his hand out and stopped the brunette from picking it up.

"Dan, that might not be a good idea to try it a second time," the blonde said nervously. Dan rolled his eyes and told him, "He isn't going to do anything." He then tossed another pea at Shun, causing his conversation with Alice to cease for a second time. Alice had turned to the side, trying to hide the grin on her face.

Shun sat there, obviously annoyed at Dan. The raven-haired boy cut a glare towards the brunette, who did nothing but wave back with a evil grin on his face. "What's the matter, Shun? You wanna share what you and Alice were talking about?" Dan asked, trying not to laugh.

Shun narrowed his eyes, then calmly took the dinner roll from his plate and threw it at the brunette. The bread hit Dan in his face, and he sat there for a moment, caught of guard that Shun had done something and joined in an act of immaturity.

Dan picked the roll up and threw it back at Shun, who had apparently been expecting it, for he dodged it. Shun looked at his friend and said, "Ha! Missed!" Dan stood there, covering his mouth with his hands. Shun raised an eyebrow, then followed Dan's gaze, which lead to Alice.

She held the dinner roll in her hand and was wiping bread crumbs off of her face. Shun, realizing that when he dodged the roll that it hit Alice, quickly began to apologize, a slight blush of embarrassment crossing his face. Dan found this amusing and started to laugh.

"Your face is priceless, Shun!" he said while laughing. Alice narrowed her eyes, then threw the roll back at Dan. But it missed and hit Runo, who had been sitting beside the brunette. She sat there in shock, and stared at the roll. Alice covered her mouth and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Runo!"

The bluenette picked the roll up and placed it on the table and said calmly, "It's okay, Alice." Dan, who was almost to the point of being on the floor, was still laughing. Runo's face started to turn with either anger or embarrassment, and she grabbed the roll, jamming it into Dan's mouth.

"Shut it you hyena!" she shouted. Shun chuckled for a moment, which quickly turned into a laugh. Dan pulled the roll from his mouth and asked his friend in an annoyed tone, "What's so funny, Shun?" The raven-haired boy, still smiling, was only able to shake his head.

Dan narrowed his eyes and threw the roll back at Shun, who, in turn, knocked it to the side before it had the chance to hit him. Instead, it bounced over and landed in front of Julie, who proceeded to freak out, for she wasn't paying much attention to what was going on.

Her hand ended up hitting a pie that was placed dangerously near the edge of the table, and it landed on Murucho. The white pie filling covered his blue tux, and everyone stared in shock. Julie was apologizing to Murucho for spilling the pie on him. He sat there for a moment, and a devilish grin formed on his face as he scooped up a handful of the pie filling and tossed it at Julie.

The silver-haired girl sat there, obviously shocked. Dan and Shun both were trying to contain a laughter that was threatening to escape their grasp, Alice sat there, still in shock, and Runo was unable to hold in her laugh. Julie narrowed her eyes at the bluenette and scrapped the pie off of her face and threw it a Runo.

The pie filling landed on Runo's collar bone and chest, and she stared at it in horror. Dan busted out in laughter, and Shun laid his head down on the table, trying to hide his own expression of amusement. Runo stood up, her face furrowed and furious.

Dan had fallen out of his chair and onto the floor, holding his sides. He then grabbed onto the table and pulled himself up, wiping a tear from his eyes. "Oh, man!" he said with a laugh. Runo's angered expression turned into a devious one, and she picked up the dish Alice brought, and dumped the contents onto Dan's head.

The traditional Russian dish dripped onto his shoulders and floor, while the brunette sat there with an un-amused expression on his face. Runo said with a smile, "It looks good on you, Dan." Shun wasn't able to even glance at the brunette without laughing.

While things escalated at the table, Dan's parents had snuck away to the patio set outside to keep from getting caught in the crossfire. Mr. Kuso shook his head when he heard all of the laughter inside. "I don't want to know what it looks like in there," he said after finishing a mouthful of peas.

Mrs. Kuso only smiled and told her husband, "Let them have their fun. I bought extra cleaner just in case something like this happened. We have nothing to worry about." Dan's father got a devilish look on his face, and he swiped his finger in the whipped cream of his slice of pie, and placed it on his wife's nose.

She sat there, her eyes crossed as she looked at the white topping on her nose. She then grinned and narrowed her eyes at her husband, returning the favor with a handful of whipped cream from her own pie, and slathering it on his face. He then ran from the patio table, Mrs. Kuso chasing after him with another handful of pie with his name on it.

* * *

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! i actually just thought this up and said, 'hey, why not?' people love holiday specials. plus, it's a change of pace from my other stories of doom and gloom. you all thought i couldnt write something happy, did ya ;) i'm full of surprises. well, i hope you all enjoyed this little one-shot! (i just kind of realized this is the first _actual _one shot i've done o.o) read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


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